The “Fight ALS (aka Lou Gehrigs Disease) with the Ice Bucket Challenge” campaign has been wildly successful, raising more than $94 Million dollars in just a few months to help raise awareness and find a cure for this debilitating disease. Millions of people all over the world have been videotaped letting someone pour ice water over their heads (or doing it themselves). And in their enthusiasm, there have been some spectacular fails:
Lily Allen’s Instagram Prank Backfires
An ambitious prankster sometimes needs an assist from co-conspirators with some leverage. But those people may have more to lose.
British pop singer Lily Allen has a long history of orchestrated controversy and publicity stunts, but her latest online jape may have put jobs at risk.
According to The New Zealand Herald, Allen landed at Gold Coast airport in Australia and apparently convinced security personnel to cuff her and pretend to arrest her. She posted this picture to her Instagram account with the tag “#uhoh.”
It got thousands of “likes,” but it’s gone now. And airport authorities say the incident is being “investigated internally.” Allen, for her part, is in the clear and free to continue spreading her unpredictable brand of sass.
Pubic Hair is Center Stage for Valentine’s Day
From Erin: Wait till you see the new Barbie doll!
American Apparel’s Valentines’ Day window display causes a sensation on New York’s Lower East Side. Read about it at rawstory.com and Gothamist
Devil Baby Attack
From Tim Jackson: Special effects are creeping into the real world: A beautifully constructed prank used to advertise a new horror film, “Devil’s Due”. Wait ’till one of these causes a real heart attack.
An animatronic “devil baby” in a remote controlled stroller goes on a rampage through the streets of New York City and hidden cameras record people’s reactions.
Westjet Feel-good Viral Marketing Prank
Submitted by Joe King: Spoiler alert… get out your hankies
From WestJet:
“…with the help of 175 WestJet volunteers, three airports and Santa himself, we made a Christmas miracle happen for more than 250 guests on two Calgary-bound flights.